


Brief Encounters

by AriaBlackmoor



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Background Character Death, Gen, Non-romantic reader insert, Spooky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 21:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9035696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AriaBlackmoor/pseuds/AriaBlackmoor
Summary: Wanted by the law and mortally wounded, you have no choice but to leave the Human Village for help.
For the tumblr 2016 Touhou Secret Santa.





	

You're so close you can hear slight buzzing as another arrow passes mere centimeters from your head. You close your eyes for a brief moment, thanking whichever deity watching you for this tree to hide behind.

Behind you, you can already hear your pursuers fanning out among the underbrush in search of you. You're certain the village has been alerted by now and is on high alert for any suspicious figures, so there's no chance of circling back around to there tonight. Or tomorrow for that matter. Perhaps if you survive that long, but...

You gently touch your left flank, wincing at the immediate pain. You're certain if you hadn't pilfered those herbs earlier you would have long since collapsed from the pain. You're equally certain that you will collapse if you don't escape and find help soon.

The crinkling of leaves nearby brings you back to your senses. There's no way you could win a fight in this shape, which only leaves one option. You look into the inky darkness in front of you. Here goes nothing...

* * *

 

You exhale when you see the first patch of luminescent mushrooms. _Light._ More importantly, this means you've made it to the Forest of Magic. You suspect your pursuers have since abandoned their search—as the elders of the village always caution, the only people who venture out of the Human Village at night are the incredibly dumb, and the incredibly desperate. Or both, in your case.

With that issue solved for the time being, it was time to figure out what you're doing. From the increasingly-intense pulses of pain from your side and the growing bloodstain on your robe and cloak, it's easy to tell your time is starting to run out. Part of you curses that you ended up in the Forest of Magic—if you'd escaped to the west instead of the east, you'd be in the bamboo forest right now and could possibly make your way to the Yagokoro Clinic. Instead, well, hopefully the Hakurei miko can help you. 

  
You kneel next to the mushroom patch and pluck the brightest one. It isn't much, but it's at least a minor light source. You have to bite your tongue to stop from screaming in pain as you pull yourself up.

* * *

 

_Jingle Jingle_

You jerk your head in to the right, sensing nothing in the direction of the sound. Not that you'd be able to see it anyways. Your left hand still burns from when you were holding the mushroom. Taking it hadn't been the wisest idea you'd ever had, although you're unsure if it was a mere allergic reaction or something else that had turned everything the mushroom scarlet red.

_Jingle_

It was the left this time. You _definitely_ heard something.

“H-hello?” You call out, your voice hoarse.

_Jingle_

You look in front of you. A small paper lantern sits in the middle of the brush ahead. Was that there before? You take a few steps ahead, barely avoiding stumbling over a root. A minute later, you're in front of the lantern. The ground here was more certain than the path you were following before, and looking to your left and right it seemed just as kept. Is this a path..? You squint into the lamplight, trying to discern if it's safe to bring. You can't see anything strange about it, but you still can't shake the feeling there's something incredibly wrong about it. A small gust of wind hits your right cheek. You turn left.

* * *

 

Colors and lights are blurring before your eyes as you reach the end of the trail. From what little your addled mind can make out, there's an illuminated structure of some sort in front of you. What would even be out here? You can tell enough to know this isn't the Hakurei Shrine, but what else is even in the Forest of Magic?

Each step sends a spike of pain through your body as you make your way towards the structure. Once close, you hold your hand out to it. It's flat, cold, and stone. You lean your good shoulder on it, taking some of the pressure off your weary body. Ever so slowly, you start following the wall around it. If there's a light on this, then surely that means someone's here. Hopefully it's human and not youkai.

You let out a yelp when your shoulder bumps into a protruded piece of stone, hoping it didn't break the skin. Curious, you use your other hand and feel out the stone. It's laid perpendicular to the rest of the wall. As your hand glides across the top of the stone, it hits a colder, smoother surface. You immediately recognize it as some sort of glass...a window? That means this is...

You knock on the window, putting as much power into it as possible. Then, again. Again.

You see a light turn on inside. Your heart almost skips a beat—someone's there! A moment later, you hear a door opening just a bit farther away. You begin shimmying towards it again.

“Help!” You manage to say weakly, slightly feeling a presence coming towards you. It doesn't respond.

You end up collapsing at it's feet. As you glare up at the figure it seems smaller than you expected?

“...Help..?” You say again, but the figure doesn't respond. You reach out, grabbing it's leg. You're shocked at the sensation.

This thing is made of wood.

You hear it creak as it jams something straight through your leg. You try to yell out, but you have no energy left to scream. The last thing you feel is your vision turning red, then black.

* * *

 

_Jingle Jingle_

You force your eyes open. For some reason, you can see clearer than you did before. You are still lying on the ground outside whatever's house this is, every inch of your body in pain.

“Are you okay?”

You look up. There's a woman wearing a black and green dress standing over you, a concerned expression on their face.

“H-help..” You say, the only words that you can seem to form.

They blink twice.

“Okay.” They step away, but show up with pushing a cart a moment later. “Hop in, nya! I'll take you somewhere warm.”

With the woman's help, you manage to crawl yourself into the bed of the cart. Soon enough, the woman throws a tarp over you. You curl up in it and close your eyes again. The last thing you hear before losing consciousness is that _jingle_ again.

* * *

 

You feel full of energy when you wake up again, and push the tarp off you. You're surprised to see it's still dark out, and somehow even quieter than before. From the clanking of the cart wheels, you can tell you're rolling across something besides dirt as well.

“Nyello again!” the woman says when she notices you, her voice rather nonchalant. Grabbing the edge of the cart, you try and pull yourself up. Surprisingly, it works and you find yourself looking at the woman in front of you. Her hair is a bright enough red that you can make it out in the gloom, two streaks of it going down behind her back.

“Uh, hello.” You say, still a bit confused about the situation. “Where are you taking me?”

“Hm? Didn't I say it earlier? I'm taking you someplace warm!”

“Warm..?”

She nods, “Mhm, you'll see!” You're not sure how to respond to that. Every minute that passes here makes you a little more unsettled.

“So, what's your nyame?” She asks.

“It's, uh...” You close your eyes. _What_ is your name? Wait, that's it. “Makoto. What's yours?”

“Rin. Everyone calls me Orin, though. It's nyice to meet you, Makoto!”

You scratch your head. “You too. Thanks for saving me. I was in pretty bad shape back there.”

“Looked like it! Good thing I was nearby to collect you!” Collect..? That's an odd choice of words.

“What were you doing there anyways, miss Orin? I don't know anyone else who would willingly leave the Village at night.”

“Oh, I was just out looking for _fewl_.”

“Fuel..?”

“Yup! That's my job! Gotta keep the fire burning ya know!” She said with a smile.

“...Right.” The more you heard, the more uncertain you were about your savior. You shouldn't be particularly surprised that someone who roamed the Forest of Magic at night is likely less than human, but you're certain most youkai would have just devoured you immediately. That she is trying to do something _besides_ that is rather alarming, especially considering her current demeanor. You open your mouth again. “Say, wha--”

With a slight nudge, Orin pushed you back into the bed of the cart. “Keep quiet for a moment, yeah? You don't wanna get on her bad side!” Not particularly thinking, you grab the tarp again and crawl under it, straining your ears to listen. You immediately hear the wheels creaking in to a slightly different sound and the cart suddenly becomes a fair bit more steady. Then, it stops.

“Good morning, miss Mizuhashi!” You hear Orin say.

The next voice was quiet, feminine, and seemed to have quite a bit of _edge_ to it. “Present your toll.”

“Toll? Mrrrrrrrr...You weren't charging a toll before..?”

“Ah, how carefree you must be to not have to deal with such worldly matters like upkee--”

“Yo, Pars, knock it off.” This voice was louder, throatier, and a fair bit more drunk than the others. “'Rin's just doin' 'er job.”

“ _So am I._ ”

“Pleash. Whaddya need the money for anyway? Y'already got me.”

“Why shouldn't I accept tolls, Yuugi? This stupid thing doesn't fix itself.”

“Aww, d'ya gotta start pullin' that, Pars? Jus' last night ya were sayin' you'd burn the damned thing yaself if I'd—Ow!”

“Y-you idiot! I-I did no such thing!”

“Ahahah, 'course ya didn't.”

“Mrrrrr...miss Hoshiguma? Miss Mizuhashi? I need to get going soon.”

“Get outta here, Orin. I'll take care of this one.”

“Hey! Gyaah, let go of me, Yuugi! Why are you so strong...”

From Orin's direction you hear that distinctive _jingle_ again.

“Thanks for the help, miss Hoshiguma, but I'll just leave this here. I hope this is a good enyough toll for you, miss Mizuhashi.” You hear the jingle again as something is placed on the ground, then you feel the cart moving again. As you pass on, you can hear those other two slowly fade away behind you. Then, you shrug off the tarp again.

“Who were those two?” You ask.

“Oh, them? Miss Hoshiguma and miss Mizuhashi are one of the loudest couples in all the underground. They were up early today though.” Wait, what?

“The underground!”

Orin tilts her head, taking a moment to figure out what you meant. “Ooh. Yup, we're in Gensokyo underground.” She points to your left. “If you go that way, you'll be in the Former Capital of Hell, but my master doesn't let Okuu or I go there very often.”

You open your mouth to speak, but immediately close it again. You're hesitant to ask the next question on your mind. The only thing you know about the underground was that there was some sort of incident there prior to the opening of the Myouren Temple, and that it is home to some of the most fearsome youkai in all of Gensokyo. But, that doesn't seem to be the case so far? Barring Orin's mysterious motives, you struggle to see how those other two could be terrifying if that's how they acted...That thought emboldens your spirits some.

“where are we going then?”

“To the nyuclear reactor! I told you earlier, I have to keep the flames burning.” You feel a pit in your stomach growing. Setting aside the fact you have no idea what a 'nyuclear reactor' is, looking around the cart, there's a much more pressing matter.

“Um, miss Orin, what do you use to keep the flames burning?”

“Oh? Corpses, of course!” Somehow, you expected that. Even so, you feel yourself moving more frantically than before as you peel the tarp and bloody robes off your body. With black flesh laid bare, you finally realize.

You were already dead.

You try to pull yourself up, maybe drag yourself off the cart or something, but all at once you find yourself completely unable to move.

Orin looks down on you, and it's then you finally notice both the cat ears on her head and the twin tails behind her, a small bell tied to one of them.

“I'm sorry for nyot telling you earlier, Makoto. It's more fun to talk to corpses who don't know they're dead yet.” She said, a frown across her face. She genuinely sounded apologetic for that. “You were really fun to watch last nyight. I was actually surprised you made it all the way to miss Margatroid's house before dying! You should have went the other way on that path, it lead straight to the Hakurei shrine.”

“How long were you watching me?”

“Mmm, from when I smelled your wound. Right before entering the Forest of Magic, I think. I was glad, because I was starting to worry I'd come back without anyone last nyight!”

As the cart creaked along, you two continued conversing about many things—Orin was quite curious to the events that led up to last night, and in a way you felt glad someone was asking your story. In truth, it'd been a very long time since you had anyone to talk to like that, one of the many things that led to your idiotic act of defiance last night. It might have been a small pleasure, but compared to when you ran into that forest last night, you felt much more at peace with your death.

As time passed, you could slowly feel things becoming warmer around you. Then, you passed another bend in the caveside. From the burning red and orange pool nearby, you suspected your time was coming to and end. Once at the ledge, the cart came to a stop. Orin leaned over, looking back down at you with her smile.

“It was nyice meeting you, Makoto. You were fun to talk to!” she said, giggling a little at the end.

You returned her chuckle as best you could, “You too, miss Orin. Thanks for talking to me.”

“It's nyo problem. You're the one who's about to be thrown in a furnace, after all.”

“Still, I appreciated it.” You manage to get out as the cart begins to upturn.

As you tumble out of it into the pit, you see Orin standing there, smiling and waving at you.

 

Then, nothing.

 


End file.
